Furnace-charging mechanism.



A. C. NELSON.

FURNACE CHARGING MECHANISM.

APPLICATKON FILED SEPT. 17. 1915.

1 ,177,720 at0nt0d Apr. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

v magi" Q INVENTOR A. C. NELSON.

FURNACE CHARGING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I7. 1915.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIeE'.

'ALFRED C. NELSON. OF LAKEWOOD, OHIO.

FURNACE-CHARGING MECHANISM.

Application filed September 17, 1915.

lie it known that l. ALI-into C. Niasox. a citizen of the l'nited States. re. idin; at Lakewood. in the eount of tuvahoga and State of Ohio. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Furnace (harging Mechanisms. of which the following is a specification. 4

This invention relates to mechanism eon trolling the distribution of niaterial in blast furnaces or other combustionfurnat'es. into which materials such as fuel. ore. and fluxes are charged through an open ing at the top of the furnace.

it is particularly applicable to furnat'es equipped with the bell and hopper charging top. well known in the blast furnaee art.

lo the eharging of furnaces of the char aeter uu-ntioued it is common practice to hoist he materials to the top b v means of ships the contents of which are automati call) dumped into a receiving hopper. subsequently discharged from the receiving hopper into a main hopper which is capable of holding several skip loads. and tinallv the material is discharged from the main hopper into the furnace. The materials. such as coal. coke. ore. limestone. etc.. which are thus placed in the furnaces. being granular and of diti'erent grades of coarseness. or. iuade up of what is known in the art as lamps and lines. arrange themselves in the furnace in accordance with the positions the v have occupied in the main hop per previous to being discharged into the furnace. It has been found that the most satisfactory results are obtained when most of the hin -is lie in the center of the furnace and most of the tines lie next to the walls. it has been found further that it the draft through the furnace isbhstrueted. on account of the uneven distribution of eoarse and line materials. so as to h th 'llerted against the walls of the furnace at 'walls is uniform over their entire surfaces.

Specification of letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

Serial No. 51,198.

operation themost ettieient and repairs are minimum.

The principal object of my invention is to provide new and improved means for etl'eeting and controlling the distribution of the charging materials in the main hopper and thus..in large measure. to control their distribution in the furnace.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical. axial section through a blast furnace top equipped with my i' \'ention in whieh the distributer is closed: Fig. i is a part section. part side view at right angles to Fig. 1: Fig. l is a view similar to Fig. 1. except that in Fig. the distributor is opened to allow the materials to enter the main hopper? l igs. l and 5 are respectively an end view and a longitudinal section a; the distributer revolving ratchet. Fig. i heing a section on line rzu of Fig. 5; Figs. 3 and 7 are respectively a plan and elevation of a distributer having three blades; Fig. 8 shows a modified form of distributer revolving element. Fig. J is a detail vertical section illustrating the, manner of supporting the tubular shaft 14.

in the drawings 1 represents the top of the furnace wall. 2 the hell. 3 the main hopper and 4* the ship. The mechanism for raising and lowering the skip is not shown but it will be understoq l'tl'iat this may be of any suitable construction or that other means may be employed for bringing materials to the top of the furnace and 1seharging'them into the receiving hopper.

The main hopper of the furnace has the shape of an inverted frusto-conical shell set in a suitable opening of the topof the furnace. l. flange. 5. formed oifthe hopper supports it with a suitable gas tight joint upon the top plate. (3. of the furnace. Cov

ering the hopper and forming a support for the distributing device is the frustorconical The irein ell, 2, is supported by the rod, 12, whica at is secured to any convenient operating mechanism well known in the art. Surrounding the rod, 12, is the tube. 14, having secured to it at its lower end the upper bell, 15, and the distributer blades, 16. The blades are prefbrably helicoidal in form but this shape may not be strictly adhered to. I have found, however, the helicoidal blades to be satisfactory for the purposes of my invention. Tube 14, with the bell, 15, and blades, 16, is rotatable and slidable upon rod 12. Tube, 14, is ball bearing, 17, the tube being provided with an external flange which rests on the top of the upper ball race, while the lower ball race is supported by the bracket, 18. Bracket, 18 is in turn supported by the links, 19, attached to lever, 20, which is of usual construction, fulcrumed at 21 to the super structure, 22, of the furnace. It will be understood that lever 20 is actuated by any of the usual power devices employed for this purpose, and that its function is to raise and lower the upper bell 15 together with the distributer blades 16 and tube 14.

Fixed to the tube, 14, adjacent to the ball bearings, 17, is the bevel gear, 23, opera tively engaged with the bevel pinion, 24, which is mounted upon and has a driving connection with shaft, 25, which has bearings in. the bracket, 18.

Rotatably mounted upon shaft 25 but secured against longitudinal displacement is the pinion, 26, whose teeth engage with the teeth of rack, 27, which issecured to the side wall of the hopper, 11. Gear, 26, is provided with a cylindrical recess, 28, hav ing internal ratchet teeth, 29. The collar, 30, having a driving connection or formed integrally with shaft, 25, carries the pawls, 31, which are adapted to engage the ratchet teeth, 29,- of gear, 26. Lugs, 32, formed upon the collar, 30, are abutments for the springs, 33, which force the pawls, 31, into engagement with the ratchet teeth,

The ratchet mechanism above described, as shown in the drawings, is arranged so that when the tube 14, bell 15, and blades 16, constituting the distributer revolving cleiiient are being lowered by the downward movement of lever 20 and bracket 18, the shaft 25 will be forced to rotate. thereby rotating the revolving element. -When, by the upward movement of bracket 18 and lever 20, the distributer element is raised, the pinion 26 engaging rack 27 will be made to rotate in the direction in which the pawls 31 do not engage the ratchet teeth 29, and consequently the shaft 25 will remain stationary and the distributer revolving element will not be rotated.

The ratchet mechanism may be arranged to cause the distributer revolving element to rotate either when being lowered or when supported at the top by abeing raised. If arranged to cause rotation on the downward stroke, the ratchet will slip on the upward stroke and the revolving element will not rotate. If arranged to cause the revolving element to rotate on the upward stroke, it will not be caused to rotate on the downward stroke. It will be seen that by varying the diameters of the gears, 23, 24 and 26, and by varying the distance through which the distributer is raised and lowered by the lever, 20, the angle through which the distributer is rotated during its vertical movement may be predetermined. To permit the distributer blades, 16, to readily enter the cylinder, 10, I prefer to slightly taper the latter, making the larger end at the bottom as shown in the drawings. Pinion, 26, is held in engagement with rack, 27, by means of the projection, 34, formed upon the bracket, 18, and extending behind the rack bar as shown in Fig. 5. Secured to the outer end of pinion, 26, is the dust plate, 35, which serves also to retain grease or other lubricant within the recess, 28, thus insuring the proper operation of the ratchet mechanism. I

In the drawings the rack, 27, is shown in Fig. 5 to be located on the right of pinion 26, which will cause rotation of the revolving element on its downward stroke. By providing holes 36, in the wall of the hopper, 11, the rack may be located on the left of the pinion, 26, as viewed in Fig. 5 and thereby cause the revolving element to rotate on its upward stroke. As the materials pass the blades, 16, of the distributer they tend to cause the revolving element to rotate. As shown in the drawings the pawls, 31 resist this rotation and, on the downward stroke, cause the element to rotate against the rotative force of the materials exerted on the blades. It is evident that by reversing the teeth, 29', of the ratchet and by reversing the pawls, .31 to correspond, the distributer revolving element may-be made to I.

revolve in the opposite direction from that caused by the arrangement in the drawing.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown a distributor provided with three blades. In all of the distributers shown in the drawings the blades extend degrees around the tube to which they are secured. Any desired number of blades may be used in the distributer and they may encircle the tube to any extent found necessary or desirable. As the mate rial passes down through the cylinder, 10, it will be divided into as many paths as there of parts shown I are distributer blades and will be deposited at the number of points in the main hopper below. By rotating the distributer tl'irough the proper angle the material passed through it upon successive lowerings of the bell, 15. may be deposited between the paint; where the material was deposited previously.

said chute to he divided into a plurality of paths.

7, in a furnace charging mechanism the comliiiaition of a main ho per and means for closing and opening its lower end, a. material receiviiug hopper located above the main hopper archute forming an outlet for the passage ofv material from the. material receiving hopper to the main hopper, and a plurality of approvirnatelv heliroidal deflectors located in the path of the material where it learn; the chute, adapted to cause the materials dis-charged from said chute to ho divided into a plurality of paths.

In a blast furnace charging mechanism the comhination with a main hopper and means for closing and opening its outlet into the furnace, of a reiizciving hopper located aliovc the ma n hopper; a cvlindri cal chute connecting the rcceii ing hopper with the main hopper; a plurality of deflcctors supported hv a shaft in said chute, said deflectors lain-n arrangciil to divide the mat rials passing through said chute into a pluralitv of paths t cause them to he distrihuted to a pluralitv of points in the main hopper. and means for rotating said shaft and said do iectors in said chute.

9. in a blast furnace charging mechanism the romhination with a main h a' 'per and means for closingand opening outlet into the furnacin of a recei ing: hopper lo cated above the main hopocr. a chute onnecting; the receiving hopper with the main hopper, a plurality of deflectors in said chute arranged to divide the materials pass ing through said chute inio a piuralitv of paths to cause them to ho distributed to a plurality of points in the main hopper. and a single mears for closing" and pening the outlet of said chute into the main hopper and for raising and loo eriing said iirtlcoti'vrs in said chute.

10. In a. lilaat furnace charging met-luv nism the comhinatimi with the receiving hopping the plurality, of deflectors and tu hular shaft therefor. said tulnzlar haft he ing' supported at its upper end loy a swivel hearing in a bracket connected to raising and lowering: means of a gear fixed to said tubular rotativelv shaft, :1 second shaft mounted in hearings in said bracket, a gear fixed to said second shaft and cng'aging the gear fixed to said tubular shaft. athlrd gear rotativclv mounted upon said second shaft and in engagement with a rack fixed to the wall of the r ceiving hopper, and means cooperating with said second shaft and said third gear to cause the rotation of said third shaft when said third gear is rotated in one din-action, whereby the said tu hnlar shaft and deflectors are caused to 1'0- tate in unison with a vertical movement of said hrackct.

ll. In a furnace charging mechanism a distrilaiter for the materials of the charge consisting of a chute through which the materials when entering the furnace, a hell for closing the outlet of said chute, said hell being fixed to a shaft concentric with said chute and a helicoidal blade also fixed to said shaft above; said hell, and having: its axis of generation in alinement with the axis of said hell.

12. In a charging mechanism a distrihuter for the materials of the charge consisting of a chute through which the materials pass, a shaft in said chute concentric therewith. and a helicoidal blade fixed to said shaft. and having its axis of generation in alinerncnt with the axis of said shaft.

13. In a furnace charging mechanism, a main hopper adapted to discharge into the furnace, a hell closing the bottom of this hopper, a receiving hopper having a chute emptying into said main hopper. a hell adapted to close the discharge end of this chute, a plurality of approximately helicoidal deflectors at the discharge end of said chute to divide the discharging material into a plurality of streams as it enters the main hopper. and means for raising and lowering the deflectors relatively to the out let of said chute.

ll In a furnace charging mechanism, a main hopper adapted to discharge into the furnace. a hell closing the bottom of this hopper, a receiving hopper having a chute empt .'ing into said main hoppen, a bell adapted to close the discharge end of this rliutea a plurality of approximately heliroidal defh-zctors at the discharge end of said chute to divine the discharging material into a phirality of streams it enters the main hopper. means for raising and lowering the deflectors relatively to the outlet of said chute. and means for rotating said deflectors to vary their points of discharge simultaneously with the operation of said raising and lowering means.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED Ci NELSON.

\Vitnesses:

Fnam; Li SESSIUNS. Faancns .K. l\IA;\'COSKY. 

